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Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Books I Read in October

Hi there and happy Wednesday! Today I am sharing the books I read in the month of October, and this time around I am going to include the synopsis of the book as well as my thoughts/grade for it. I usually shy away from telling too much about the book because I don't want to give anything away, but I figure a good copy/paste from Amazon won't have too many spoilers! Let's start with one that I'm sure many of us read this month:

 

The Girls in the Stilt House-- Oh my gosh, what a great book. This was one of those books that gripped you from the very beginning and you couldn't put it down. You become so invested in the storylines of the characters and HAVE to stick around to find out what happens to them.

Here's the Amazon summary: "Ada promised herself she would never go back to the Trace, to her unbearable life on the swamp, and to her harsh father in Mississippi. But now, after running away to Baton Rouge and briefly knowing a different kind of life, she finds herself with nowhere to go but back home. And she knows there will be a price to pay with her father.

Matilda, daughter of a sharecropper, is from the other side of the Trace. Doing what she can to protect her family from the whims and demands of some particularly callous locals is an ongoing struggle. She forms a plan to go north, to pack up the secrets she’s holding about her life in the South and hang them on the line for all to see.

As the two girls are drawn deeper into a dangerous world of bootleggers and moral corruption, they must come to terms with the complexities of their tenuous bond and a hidden past that links them in ways that could cost them their lives."


I have recommended this book to countless friends and family. It is a sad, intense, heart wrenching, but overall very moving book. I give it an A+.

You've Been Volunteered-- This is the second book in the "Class Mom" series and I thought it was cute. I found the main character much more charming right off the bat this time around, whereas in the last book I had to warm up to her a bit. 

Here's the Amazon rundown: "If you’ve ever been a room parent or school volunteer, Jen Dixon is your hero. She says what every class mom is really thinking, whether in her notoriously frank emails or standup-worthy interactions with the micromanaging PTA President and the gamut of difficult parents. Luckily, she has the charm and wit to get away with it - most of the time. Jen is sassier than ever but dealing with a whole new set of challenges in the world of parental politics and at home. "

Just like the last book, this one was funny, quick and sweet. I did feel like there could've been more to the storyline, and at times I wasn't all that invested. I give it an A-. Overall pretty good, but could've been better.

The Little Book of Lykke-- This book was recommended to me when it felt like every other book I wanted was on a crazy long hold at the library. Don't you hate that? Either they're all ready at the same time, or there's a long wait. Anyway, this one was available and I had read his other book "The Little Book of Hygge" and loved it, so I gave it a chance! 

Here is the synopsis from Amazon: "In The Little Book of Lykke, Meik identifies the six factors that explain the majority of differences in happiness across the world—togetherness, money, health, freedom, trust, and kindness—and explores what actions we can take to become happier. As he reveals, we can deepen our blissfulness and contentment with little adjustments in our behavior, whether it’s eating like the French (sitting around a table and savoring our time) or dancing the tango like Argentinians in Buenos Aires." 

I already considered myself a very happy person, but it was fun to read someone else's take on what makes people happy. I wouldn't consider this book a deep read, but something that is easy to pick up/put down and pairs well with a cozy blanket and a cup of hot chocolate. A good in-between book if you're waiting on one to come available at the library. I give it a solid A.

The Last Thing He Told Me-- Oh this book... I have a love/hate relationship with this book. This book hooks you almost immediately and it only goes up from there, building more drama and more intensity... until it falls flat. I know I'm not the only one who read this-- did any of you feel this way? I couldn't wait to find out what happened-- and wasn't impressed by the ending. 

Here's the Amazon summary:"Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.


As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they’re also building a new future—one neither of them could have anticipated.

With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn."

I do not agree with the summary about the "final heartbreaking turn" unless the heartbreak is a boring ending leaving you with more questions than answers. I know I can't be the only one who feels this way! Overall I give it a B+ because the first 2/3 of the book were GREAT, I am just disappointed in the ending. This is not the first book from Reese Witherspoon's book club that I haven't loved... I may not be choosing many more books recommended by her in the future.



Now I'm reading the new Beatriz Williams book and I already love it! I think Beatriz Williams can do no wrong. Any other books you'd recommend? I'd love to know! 

3 comments :

  1. Felt the same way about The Last Thing He Told Me. I felt like there was this hype and then just blah.

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  2. I love the class mom series :) I just picked up the girls in the stilt house. I felt the same way about the ending of the last thing he told me… You read some great books this month

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  3. I liked The Last Thing He Told Me… I thought the ending “fit“ with the narrative of the book. It was just hard to relate to. I have heard great things about The Girls In the Stilt House and can’t wait to read that! You can never go wrong with Beatriz Williams! Taylor JenkinsReid is another favorite author (except for The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”. Bob Goff books are always great little in-between “light” reads too.

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